Shloka 13

Virūpākṣa’s Dāna and Gautama’s Burden — the approach of Rājadharma

Devanagari script

एष ते भरतश्रेष्ठ नृशंस: परिकीर्तित: । सदा विवर्जनीयो हि पुरुषेण विजानता

Transliteration

eṣa te bharataśreṣṭha nṛśaṁsaḥ parikīrtitaḥ | sadā vivarjanīyo hi puruṣeṇa vijānatā ||

Translation

Wika ni Bhishma: “O pinakamainam sa angkan ng Bharata, ito ang ‘nṛśaṃsa’ (malupit) na tao gaya ng aking inilarawan sa iyo. Ang taong may pag-unawa ay dapat laging umiwas sa kanya.”

Word by Word

• एषः: this (one)
• एषः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Dative, Singular

• भरतश्रेष्ठ: O best of the Bharatas
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत-श्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• नृशंसः: cruel, ruthless (man)
• नृशंसः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नृशंस
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परिकीर्तितः: has been described/declared
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-कीर्त्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Passive (PPP)

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

• विवर्जनीयः: to be avoided
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-वर्ज्
• Form: अनीय (gerundive), Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Obligative (to be avoided)

• हि: indeed, for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• पुरुषेण: by a man
• पुरुषेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• विजानता: by one who knows/understands
• विजानता: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-ज्ञा
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Bharataśreṣṭha (address to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A wise and discerning person should recognize cruelty (nṛśaṁsatā) as a moral danger and deliberately avoid association with such a person.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira in the Śānti Parva, he concludes a description of the ‘nṛśaṁsa’ type—someone marked by pitiless conduct—and advises constant avoidance of such company.